Ask yourself "Why?"

I'm sitting in lecture of one of my favorite classes right now. It is a class about WW2 in the Pacific and our professor mentioned the analytical approach of Japan's strategy in the years leading up to Pearl Harbor. This made me start thinking about Ultimate, obviously. To really make yourself a better Ultimate player or Ultimate leader, you really need to analyze situations carefully and not just look at them. The big question you need to ask yourself is, “Why?”

We’ve all had the experience of seeing someone play on the field and think, “I wish I could play Ultimate like that!” You notice either the throws, the defense, the skies, or any combination of those or other skills. You then decide it is going to be your goal for the next few weeks, or the rest of the year, to be able to throw like _____, play defense like ____, or sky like _____.

However, you will not make a lot of progress unless you ask yourself “Why?”. Why are those players good? What are they doing that allows them to excel on their team or against other opponents? And the answer isn’t simple like “He/She breaks the mark”. You really have to look at the player’s fakes, the body motion, the vision of that player, and the actual mechanics of the throw. Do not just look at the skill but how and why the player is good at that skill. Analyzing the situation can only make you better. It is only after this when you can start to improve your game.

The same question applies when discussing strategies for your opponents. Your opponents huck a lot. Okay noted. But why? Is it that the throwers are relentless and going to huck no matter what? Do the throwers get the disc and huck it before the mark is put on? Are the cutters always going deep on a turn? Analyzing the smaller tendencies of a team will only help your strategy. Another situation: Our opponents keep beating us up the line – we need to stop that. Okay noted. But why? Are the opponents faking going for the dump? Are we, as defenders, on our heels and not expecting it? Are we in bad positions or not keeping enough cushion to defend the up the line?

As a Ultimate player looking to improve your skills or a captain/coach looking to beat an opponent, you cannot just look at the big picture. Nor can you just look at a smaller picture. You need to look at the SMALLEST picture, and analyze the situations at hand, in order to fully succeed.